To gain entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Billy Wagner completed a climb few candidates have managed. Wagner, the former Houston Astros closer, attained the 75% support from voters required for election in his final year of eligibility on the writers’ ballot.

Billy Wagner anxiously waited for his moment, but not just for himself, for what it meant to the future of baseball.

Billy Wagner doesn’t do subtlety. He comes right at you, with a blazing fastball and straight talk. So, if anyone wondered which team’s cap he will choose for his Hall of Fame plaque, he wore an Astros polo on a Zoom call with reporters Tuesday night.